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I have a friend named Joe. Joe’s a good dude. We’ve known each other for a while and we’ve traveled the world, I’ve hung out and gotten along with his wife, and he’s gotten along with my wife. We don’t swing or anything, just good old fashioned neighborliness. Funny thing, I don’t think our wives have ever met. Not important. Moving on.
Joe and I have consumed multiple bottles of champagne early in the morning and hung out at ridiculous rockstar parties in penthouses in Vegas that neither of us really should have been at for thousands of reasons. I’ve stayed on his floor. He’s stayed on my floor. When I broke my kneecap, he was the first person I went out and got a beer with after the initial recovery period ended. That’s really more coincidence though. Again, not important. Jeez.
SO, you get the idea. He’s a good dude. Anyway, not long ago, Joe called me up and told me that he’d been doing solo tours and he’d made some recordings of himself doing acoustic renditions of some songs he plays with his band. He asked if I’d be into doing a handful of Lawrence arms songs acoustic and putting out a split with him. I told him that I’d think about it, but that was code for “sounds kinda lame, dude” and I kind of put the idea on ice. After all, I got a lot going on, folks. The last thing I need is to step into line behind every other dipshit raspy punk rocker turned balladeer that seems to be the style of the times. I mean, honestly, I’m literally already in ONE line behind Tom and Chuck and everyone. I don’t need to climb into another. That’s DMV style queuing, bro. No thanks.
BUUUUUUUUT, then I thought about it some more, and I thought, ‘you know what? Fuck it. If I can do something interesting, I’m gonna give it a go.” SO, I got my buddy Yates to set up a mic, and I got a new acoustic guitar (thanks to everyone here on the sock drawer who helped me to decide what to get! [sarcasm/old inside joke for real nerds]) and I decided that I’d just kind of go in, somewhat unprepared and do everything one take, live style. I figured that if I’m just doing old Arms songs, I’ve already contributed my vision of them as studio pieces, as perfect as we can get them, and so if I was gonna do it, I wanted more of a raw visceral and intimate quality in the recordings. I ended up doing a couple of overdubs, a riff here and there, but other than that, the recording is seven essentially live tracks, and they’re mostly TLA songs, though one cover slips in there too.
SO, long story continuing on, I finished that shit, and I thought it sounded pretty good and Joe has some songs and we’re gonna put it out as a split. Joe knows a dude named Neil who runs a label called Anchorless and he was apparently the impetus behind this whole project after hearing Joe’s songs. I talked to Neil, he seemed like a good dude, so I said, ‘yeah, fuck it. We’ll do it with this guy.’ Then I weaseled my buddy toby onto the project because I’m the fucking picture of nepotism, and we were set to go. A split release. Me, Joe Anchorless and Redscare, splitting shit like egalitarian dogs alone in a filthy dog park.
I don’t think it’s out of line for me to tell you guys that the shit is called Wasted Potential, which was originally gonna be the title of this blog, but at the last minute I changed it to Bad Sandwich Chronicles. Why? Cuz I’m a marketing savant.
Anyway, listen up. I can’t speak for Joe, cuz well, he lives in Richmond and who knows what kind of hillbilly notions he’s got in his head, but for me, this does not mark a turn for me down the road of being some sort of folk or alt country guy or anything like that. This is simply me doing acoustic versions of songs you’ve already heard and getting a little hang time in with some old friends in the process. Oh, believe me, it’s a selfless endeavor. Need proof?
Fine dipshit, we’re playing a show, Joe and I, Friday, feb 5th at the Mutiny in Chicago. That’s significant because the Mutiny is this shithole famous for four things:
1) a giant urinal
2) individual pabst pitchers
3) free shows
4) the bands don’t get paid.
That’s right bitches and bastards. We’re celebrating this thing with a free show and we’re not getting paid. True! Haki ya mungu! So suck on that, you jaded fucks.

Oh, it’s not the release show or anything, so there will be no merch or anything like that. I don’t even think we get free beer, so bring your wallets you cheap fucks.
That’s everything. Enjoy your freezing ass day.
Oh, Joe is from that band Smoke or Fire.
Yup.